Bird Box by Josh Malerman

rating
(No Series)
  HORROR


Something is out there, something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse of it, and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remains, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now that the boy and girl are four, it's time to go, but the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat--blindfolded--with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children’s trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. Something is following them all the while, but is it man, animal, or monster?

“It's better to face madness with a plan than to sit still and let it take you in pieces.”


Finally I read this - been hearing about it for years. One of those books I wanted to read but can't procrastinating on starting for some odd mystery that will never be solved - much like the creatures in this book.

Tense and gripping with an isolated, claustrophobic atmosphere, Bird Box was hard to put down once the somber, surreal tone sucked me in. I didn't get into the beginning right away - it was out there - but once the explanations started coming it the story grew fascinating.

As with most apocalyptic or disaster scenario books, the close-knit group settling in for the battle is the most fascinating part. Who will betray who, who will go crazy, can the new outsider be trusted? This adage isn't unique but the author kept it from feeling stale.

The sky is falling, the sky is dying, the sky is dead.”

Josh Malerman's writing is beautiful and perfectly suited for such a dark, mentally dreamlike tone. I almost felt half-drugged (just not in a sleepy way) reading it.

A book worth it's reputation, but the ending felt off. It wasn't bad, but it didn't explain as much as I'd hoped. There's a bonus to mysterious fears remaining mysteries, but for this book I'd like to have at least some legitimate explanation.



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